Process for producing ready-to-eat shaped rice foods having visible rice grains

Abstract

The present invention teaches a process for making ready-to-eat, shaped rice products having a texture comprised of visible, fully-cooked rice grains joined together; said process utilizes three rice-cooking steps. In the first rice-cooking step, the rice grains are only partially-cooked inside the cooker at temperatures above 175 F. The still-cooking, partially-cooked rice grains together with some adhering cooking water are discharged from the cooker before the centers of the grains are fully-cooked and while the grains are still flowable. In the second rice-cooking step, said rice grains continue to cook in an enclosed conveyor with their own retained heat and water at temperatures above 175 F while the retained water from the grains' surfaces is absorbed into their centers. An important aspect of the present invention is that the rice grains become fully-cooked at about the time they are formed into shaped units. In the third rice-cooking step, the shaped rice units comprised of visible, joined, fully-cooked rice grains are moved into fat fryers or hot-air ovens and are cooked at temperatures above 300 F to firm their textures and evaporate some of the grains' moisture before the fully-cooked grains become over-hydrated and burst.

We claim:  
     
       1. A process for making shaped rice foods comprised of visible, joined, fully-cooked rice grains by a process comprising: 
       a) partially cooking dry rice grains with water at temperatures above 175 F in a cooker and discharging the hot and still-cooking grains with adhering cooking water from said cooker while said grains are still flowable;  
       b) further cooking the grains of a) at temperatures above 175 F whereby the centers of the grains absorb some of said grains' surface water and become fully-cooked as they are formed into shaped units comprised of visible, fully-cooked rice grains; and  
       c) still further cooking the rice units of b) at temperatures above 300 F to firm their texture and evaporate some of the grains moisture before the fully-cooked grains become over-hydrated and burst.  
     
     
       2. The process of  claim 1  wherein the cooker is equipped with mixers and the mixers of the cooker blend the rice grains with the cooking water without mashing the individual rice grains. 
     
     
       3. The process of  claim 1  wherein the rice grains are selected from the group consisting of broken grain white rice, broken grain brown rice, long grain white rice, long grain brown rice, medium grain white rice, medium grain brown rice, short grain white rice, short grain brown rice, or waxy rice grains. 
     
     
       4. The process of  claim 1  wherein two and a half to four pounds of water are cooked together with each one pound of dry rice grains. 
     
     
       5. The process of  claim 1  which further comprises adding to the cooking water, food ingredients selected from the group consisting of food flavors, herbs, spices, rice starch, gums, starch complexing agents, salt, sugar, vegetable juices, fruit juices, fats, nutritional supplements, food colors, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
       6. The process of  claim 1  which further comprises adding to the cooking water, food pieces selected from the group consisting of: vegetables, fruits, meats, poultry, fish, pasta, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
       7. The process of  claim 1  whereby the partially-cooked visible rice grains with some adhering surface cooking water are cooked at temperatures above 175 F as they are conveyed to the shaping equipment. 
     
     
       8. The process of  claim 7  whereby the partially-cooked visible rice grains are cooked with their own retained heat and water as they are conveyed to the shaping equipment. 
     
     
       9. The process of  claim 7  whereby the partially-cooked visible rice grains are cooked with their own retained heat and water in an enclosed conveyor as they are moved to the shaping equipment. 
     
     
       10. The process of  claim 7  whereby the visible rice grains are not destroyed as they are cooked and conveyed to the shaping equipment. 
     
     
       11. The process of  claim 7  whereby the water from the surface of the rice grains is absorbed into said grains' centers. 
     
     
       12. The process of  claim 1  whereby the centers of the partially-cooked rice grains become fully-cooked at about the time the grains are compressed to a desired thickness with bakery type sheeters and cut into units comprised of joined visible rice grains. 
     
     
       13. The process of  claim 1  whereby the centers of the partially cooked rice become fully-cooked at about the time said grains are formed into continuous ribbons comprised of joined visible, rice grains with double roll formers and then cut into units. 
     
     
       14. The process of  claim 1  whereby the centers of the partially cooked rice grains become fully-cooked at about the time said grains are formed with dies and molds into cup-like shaped units comprised of joined visible, rice grains. 
     
     
       15. The process of  claim 14  wherein a thin flexible sheet of non-stick material is inserted between the hot rice grains and the dies and molds while the cavity shape of the rice cup is formed. 
     
     
       16. The process of  claim 1  wherein the rice units comprised of joined visible, rice grains are cooked with hot fat at temperatures above 300 F to firm their texture and evaporate some of the grains' moisture before the fully-cooked grains become over-cooked and burst. 
     
     
       17. The process of  claim 16 , which further comprises the step of rapidly freezing the fat-fried shaped rice units comprised of joined, visible rice grains. 
     
     
       18. The process of  claim 1  wherein the rice units comprised of joined visible, rice grains are cooked with hot air at temperatures above 300 F in an oven to firm their texture and evaporate some of the grains moisture before the fully-cooked grains become over-cooked and burst. 
     
     
       19. The process of  claim 18 , which further comprises the step of rapidly freezing the oven-baked shaped rice units comprised of joined, visible rice grains.